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User blog:Elgb333/National Icons: Cowboy vs Samurai
For every country, there is that one badass warrior culture that represents a nation not just in the looks but also in its values. Today we will be pitting two famous national icons in history who both have influenced each other in pop culture, from the quickdraws, the code of honors, and the stoicism. Cowboy: American heroes of the rugged Western frontier. vs Samurai: Japanese warriors of the bloody feudal Japan. Its Westerns vs Jidai Geki! John Ford vs Akira Kurosawa! Who is deadliest?!! Cowboy Central to the myth and the reality of the West is the American cowboy. The cowboy has for over a century been an iconic American image both in the country and abroad; recognized worldwide and revered by Americans. To protect their herd from wild animals, rogue Indians and rustlers, cowboys carried with them their iconic weaponry such as knives, pistols, rifles and shotguns. And on the trail, they also have to endure bad weather and unforgiving environments Many of the cowboys were veterans of the Civil War; a diverse group, they included Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and immigrants from Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the Middle East. Although always synonymous with gunslingers in today’s pop culture, there were a number of cowboys who were known as gunfighters, some siding with the law or being outlaws like John Wesley Hardin, Luke Short, Tom Horn and others. Other cowboys participated in various range wars throughout the frontier, and many even joined the Rough Riders lead by fellow cowboy Theodore Roosevelt. They were known for their prowess, speed and skill with their pistols and other firearms and their violent escapades and reputations morphed over time into the stereotypical image of violence endured by the "cowboy hero". Short= Bowie Knife * Single edged with clip point. * Various length but the largest were ul to 12 inches long. * Throwable. |-|Medium= Colt Peacemaker * .45 Long Colt * 6-round fixed cylinder (although people at that time tend to load only 5 rounds for safety reasons). * Many cowboys such as Luke Short, Frank M. Canton and John Wesley Hardin were prominent in the art of the quickdraw, or have participated in such quick draw duels. |-|Long= Winchester Rifle * .44-40 Winchester * 15 round tubular magazine * Lever action * 200 yards |-|Tactics= Attacking From a Defensive Position * One of the eight classical maneuvers of warfare. It is a common tactic for cowboys under attack from bandits or Indians. Taking positions on a well-defended location, fortifying said location, and eliminating enemies with overwhelming fire and marksmanship. * Prime example was the Raid on Godfrey Ranch on January 15–16, 1865 in which 3-4 ranch hands, upon hearing that a force of 130 Indians(!) were going to attack them, fortified their ranch and held the Indians for a whole night. The cowboys did well in eliminating and keeping the Indians at bay behind the strong adobe walls of the ranch, and using water buckets to douse any attempts of burning it with fire arrows. Samurai The Samurai were a Japanese aristocratic warrior class that existed from about the 10th century onwards. From the late 12th century onwards, Samurai warlords, known by the title shogun were the de facto rulers of the Japan, with the emperor serving only as spiritual leader. The samurai were known for living by the code of bushido, which emphasized loyalty, duty and honor above all else, even in the face of death. The samurai class was abolished in 1860s, during the modernization of Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Short= Katana * Single edged curved blade. * 1 meter * As the most iconic weapon in Japan, there have been accounts of legendary samurais proficient in battojutsu (sword quickdraw) and the ability to kill with one stroke like Kawakami Gensai and Miyamoto Musashi. |-|Medium= Smith and Wesson Army No. 2 * .32 Rimfire * 6 round cylinder magazine |-|Long= Spencer Rifle * .56-56 Spencer rimfire * 7 round stock tube magazine * Manually cocked hammer, lever action * 500 yards |-|Tactics= Bushido Offensive * A tactic made famous in Feudal Japan which blends the bushido code of the samurai (courage and a death before dishonor attitude) with clever tactical maneuvers. So effective in fact that it influenced Japanese tactics in later years to come. * A well-known example was the Battle of Ueno. In July 4, 1868 forces of Saigō Takamori launched a full scale assault on the much larger Shogunate forces positioned in Kan'ei-ji Temple. His Satsuma forces suffered heavy casualties but held on long enough for the Chosu force to attack from the rear, and with the use of armstrong and snider cannons, completely destroyed the much larger Shogunate army. X-Factors Training= Hard to decide. The cowboys have the advantage of a more professional training since many were former American soldiers. The samurai’s training were not as modernized but they were trained in a warrior culture since birth. |-|Experience= While the cowboys fought in conflicts such as the Civil War, Indian Wars, Range Wars and Spanish-American War, and have served as lawmen and bandits alike, their experience in warfare is limited and far in between (there job is actually pretty boring). The samurais however, had centuries of battlefield experience from the conception of Japan until the Meiji era. They fought many civil wars like the Genpei War, Senggoku, Boshin War, and were one of a few who defeated a Mongol invasion. They even invaded Korea as well. |-|Weapon Mastery= Samurai were excellent in melee fighting but in terms of modern weapons such as firearms, they fall flat against the cowboys. The latter had individuals such as Augustin Chacon and John Wesley Hardin who were capable of dual-weilding pistols. Notes * The samurai will be using here will be those during the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion while the cowboys here will be during the late 19th century version. * Battle takes place in an open grassy field. * It will be 5 vs 5, with 3 horsemen and 2 foot soldiers each. * Votes must be at least 4 sentences with decent explanations of weapons and x-factors. I decide whether to count a vote or not. Battle The Utah Territory, 1875 A roaring cloud of smoke can be seen ploughing through the dusty Western landscape. It’s path and course seemed unstoppable as the little critters dash away to safety. It moved on a clear linear path towards a small city in the horizon, leaving red hot dust and dried vegetation debris in its wake. That thing dashing along the landscape was a large train, the so-called Iron Horse as the Indians called it. And its tracks carved a mighty path all across the frontier. Inside the train were 5 Japanese noblemen, a small bunch who stood out from the other passengers with their mix of Western and Oriental clothing. They were bureaucrats sent by the Japanese Imperial Government to further strengthened the US-Japan relationship. They were talking to each other in an alien language that was getting the other passengers anxious. But what’s more alien are their assortment of swords they brought with them in their journey. These men were former samurai. Ever since the Boshin War, these ex-warriors have taken other jobs in this day and age. While their warrior code obsolete, they were nonetheless learned men who were perfect for this task. But these warriors still yearned those heroic battles that they were trained solely to fight for in their whole lives. Suddenly, the train abruptly stopped, rattling the passengers and disrupting the luggage with its sudden force. The passengers were shocked and angered by this, and as they looked outside they found out what made the engineer stopped the crate. A herd of cows have accidentally blocked the trail, sluggishly moving along in front of the train. With them where 5 hardworking cowboys who were trying their best to get the cows moving. The passengers angrily shouted at the cowboys for the delay, and the ranch hands tried their best to stay stoic and silent. The Iron Horse it seems, was not unstoppable. But none was so enraged with this delay than the samurai, who by virtue of their Japanese culture, valued time more than anything. They stepped from the vehicle and approached the cowboys on horseback. One of them shouted at the yank to get move along, but his foreign language only left the cowboy confused. This confusion was misinterpreted by the samurai as insolence and feeling that they have been rudely disrespected by these middle-classmen, one of the drew his sword and cut the cowboy off his horse. The cowboys were stunned by this, and the samurai managed to get some of their horses that they can use. The rest of the passengers took cover in the ensuing violence. One of the cowboys quickly drew his gun and shot at one of the samurai, and the other samurai retaliated by drawing their rifles and pistols and shooting back at the cowboys, killing one of them through a shot to the heart. Being at a disadvantage, the cowboys turned their horses and attempted to flee. The samurai got on their horses and gave chase. A running gun battle ensued between the two parties. The cowboys knew that with fresh horses, it won’t take long before the samurais can finally reach them. So they set a course towards a dusty hill where they quickly dismounted and took positions. The samurai saw the cowboys take the high-ground, but not giving up yet, they make a bold frontal assault with their katanas and rifles drawn. The cowboys take out their Winchester rifles and made a shooting gallery of the approaching samurais. Two quickly died in the barrage of bullets, but another samurai managed to get a lucky hit on a cowboy with a headshot from his Smith and Wesson revolver. The cowboys continued raining hot lead on the samurais with their Peacemakers and Winchesters. One of the samurai made a hard turn to the left in an attempt to flank the cowboys. The other samurai still boldly charging at the entrenched cowboys took several bullets to the chest, abdomen, limbs and neck. But through sheer bushido determination, the dying samurai still pushed forward, and as he neared the cowboys positioned, dropped himself off unto one of the cowboys and stabbed him right in the shoulder with a katana before dying himself. The last remaining cowboy managed to flank the distracted cowboy and shot one of them in the eye with his Spencer rifle. The remaining cowboy, in a fit of rage, grabbed the samurai off his horse and wrestled him to the ground. The cowboy then start to beat the living shit out of the cowboy, but the samurai the turned the tides by hooking his leg on the cowboy's neck and used a triangular choke on him. Knowing that his wrestling and hard pounding was no match against the samurai's craftier jujitsu, the cowboy grabbed his knife and plunged it right at the samurais leg. The samurai yelled in pain before letting go of the cowboy and rolling away to grab his katana. The cowboy himself got up and readied his hand on his Colt pistol. Both were eyeing each other for a time. The samurai with his hand on hos katana and the cowboy with his hand on his pistol. The two then qucikly drew their weaposn and attacked. However, the cowboy's bullet manage to take out the samurai befor ehe can get close, finally ending the battle. The cowboy waved his hat in the air and yelled "YEEEE-HAW!!!!!" Expert's Opinion The experts believed that the cowboy won because of their better skill at firearms and better tactics. The samurais might be tried and tested but their weapons and firearms were outdated compared to the more modern cowboys. Category:Blog posts